Tetisheri
Queen Tetisheri was one of the most important figures in establishing the 18th dynasty in Ancient Egypt. She was known to be one of Ancient Egypt's most important queens due to her strong influence over her son, Seqenenre Tao and her grandson, Ahmose. She held the titles of "King's Mother" and "Great King's Wife" Biography Queen Tetisheri was not of royal blood, her parents Tjenna and Neferu were commoners. She was later selected by Senakhtenre Ahmose to be his Great Royal Wife. Her husband was the pioneer in pushing towards unifying Ancient Egypt and her son, Seqenenre Tao II continued to do the same. Tetisheri is believed to have been windowed while she was still young and served as regent to her son, Seqenenre Tao II, who continued his father's war against the Hyksos. Unfortunately, he perished in battle and was followed shortly by his son, Kamose. Kamose's younger brother, Ahmose took the throne and Tetisheri once again served as regent for him. Ahmose succeeded in driving the Hyksos out and established his position as Pharaoh. In his last few years of his reign, he built many monuments across the country, including a monument for his grandmother. Mummification Tetisheri was most likely buried in Thebes in a lavishly decorated tomb. She also has a pyramid at Abydos, marked by the Stela erected by Pharaoh Ahmose I. No tomb at Thebes has yet been conclusively identified to be Queen Tetisheri's, however there are speculations that a mummy that may be hers was included among the other members of the royal family; reburied in the Royal Cache of DB320. 'If '''the mummy identified in DB320 is in fact Queen Tetisheri, then she died as an elderly, balding lady with white hair. Her natural hair had been interwoven together with hair from a wig. The embalming techniques are similar to those used on Queen Ahmose-Nefertari and the royal nurse Rai, this suggests that she may have died towards the beginning of the 18th dynasty (History of Ancient Egypt, n.d.). This technique involves removal of the brain, removal of the four internal organs as well as the lungs and then washing, drying, coating them with resin, and then wrapping them up with linen. The body would also be coated in resin, dried with natron and then filled with resin-soaked bandages to maintain the shape of the body and prevent insects from settling in (Mummy Tombs, 2017). Additional The Stela of King Ahmose shows King Ahmose with Tetisheri behind him. On the right side, King Ahmose I wears a double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, a short kilt with an oxtail attached. He is also holding a staff in his right hand and a mace in his left hand. The left side shows the King and Queen represented in a similar manner, however King Ahmose is only wearing the crown of Upper Egypt. The inscription reads: "To be given life, the son of the king, begotten by his body, King Ahmose, the good god, the lord of the two lands, the one identified with Horus." Tetisheri's titles are also inscribed: "The wife of a king, the mother of the king, Tetisheri, living forever" (Lauralee, 2017). External Links History of Ancient Egypt. (n.d.). ''Queen Tetisheri. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/historyofancientegypt/queens-of-egypt/queen-tetisheri Lauralee. (2017). Queen Tetisheri - The Mother of Egypt's 18th Dynasty. Retrieved from https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/tetisheri/queen-tetisheri-mother-egypts-18th-dynasty/ Mummy Tombs. (2017). Mummification in Ancient Egypt: A Timeline. Retrieved from http://www.mummytombs.com/egypt/mummy.methods.html Tetisheri. (2013). ''Who was Tetisheri? ''Retrieved from https://tetisheri.co.uk/who-was-tetisheri/ Category:Historical Personality